20 But
that is not the way you learned Christ!— 21 assuming that you have
heard about him and were taught in him, as the truth is in Jesus, 22 to
put off your old self, which belongs to your former manner of life and is
corrupt through deceitful desires, 23 and to be renewed in
the spirit of your minds, 24
and to put on the new self, created
after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness.
NOTE: Studying
Romans has really opened up the rest of bible to me. I see Paul's same line of
thought here but more fully explained in Romans. In Rom 6-8, Paul talks about
the sanctification process and in particular the battle between our flesh and
our new mind. This battle requires actions (works) on our part. It means a
change in behavior. We need to STOP doing certain things which feed the flesh
and START doing certain things that feed the spirit of our mind. To renew our
mind means to think differently. That means as much exposure as possible in
truth. Reading the word, listening to godly men, studying the bible, and
memorizing it are important steps to a renewed mind. Rom 12-15 suggests
surrender, mind renewal, community involvement, and purpose as the keys. So the
first step is surrender which includes repentance. We need to repent of the
deeds of the flesh and re-commit ourselves to the process of renewing our
minds. Lord sanctify me. I want to be more like my savior in my life and
actions.
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